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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for automatically filling prescriptions, and more particularly to a computer controlled system for dispensing containers (e.g., pill bottles) and then filling the bottles with pills, wherein a robotic arm removes bulk containers one at a time and then fills a selected bottle with a selected number of pills from the selected bulk container.
2. General Background of the Invention
In the pharmaceutical industry, many different types of pills must be quickly dispensed into pill bottles in order to efficiently provide prescription services to patients. Several such systems have been patented that disclose devices attempting to automate pill prescription services.
Kerney Hurst is a named inventor of a number of issued and now expired U.S. patents that deal with counting articles such as pills from a cassette or drum.
A more recent Kerney Hurst patent is U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,394 which relates to a cassette for holding pills to be dispensed. The cassettes of the Hurst ""394 patent cooperate with a counter/dispenser having a motor drive that rotates a drum inside the cassette to dispense and count pills contained in the drum. A selected pill in a selected cassette is placed upon the motor drive when a prescription is to be filled. The druggist then selects a number of pills using a numeric key pad entry. The druggist also selects a desired size pill bottle and places that pill bottle under the counter/dispenser so that when the motor drive rotates the drum contained within the cassette, the desired number of pills are dispensed from the cassette through the counter/dispenser and into the pill bottle.
Recent patents deal with the concept of automating the process of filling a prescription. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,208,762 and 5,337,919. The ""762 patent, issued to Charhut et al., discloses a method and apparatus for dispensing drugs, wherein a patient""s order of one or more prescriptions is automatically filled. Various drugs are stored in three or more filler lines. A vial size is assigned to each line. When a prescription is filled, it is automatically assigned to a line in view of the vial size requirements and processed accordingly. Provisions are made for the inability to fill a prescription or order. Subsequently, all of the patient""s prescriptions are collected and made available as a single order.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,919, issued to Spaulding et al., discloses an automatic prescription dispensing system that includes a housing or flame having a plurality of pill dispenser units mounted therein, a plurality of vial supply assemblies at one end of the housing, and a filled vial off load carousel at an opposite end. A vial manipulator assembly is mounted on the housing to enable translational movement of a vial manipulator frame vertically and horizontally and pivoting about a vertical axis to retrieve vials from the supply assemblies, fill the vials at the dispenser units, and deposit the filled vials onto the carousel. The vial manipulator frame includes spring loaded grippers to engage and carry the vials and a drive motor and gear for meshing with dispenser unit gears to operate the dispenser units. The system includes a controller including an interface for coupling to the printer port of a pharmacy host computer printer port for intercepting drug name and quantity data for a prescription which was directed to a prescription label printer. Such prescription data is used by the controller for selecting the dispenser unit having the required drug, vial size, and number of pills to be dispensed.
Some automated drug filling systems automatically fill a prescription and even apply a cap to the pill bottle. These are typically very expensive devices that are only justifiable to very large end users such as hospitals.
There is a need for an automated prescription filling system that includes a bottle dispenser that can be used by smaller and medium sized users such as pharmacies as opposed to very large hospitals.
There is also a need for a container (e.g., pill bottle) dispensing system that uses a cabinet or shelving unit that holds storage containers that can quickly and automatically access a container for subsequent filling (e.g., with a selected pill).
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically dispensing containers such as bottles for prescription medication. The system produces a label and fills prescription vials with a specific drug for a specific patient. The system includes a xe2x80x9ccassettexe2x80x9d based pill counting system and a label printer serviced by an articulated robotic manipulator whose functions are coordinated by a computer to extemporaneously label and fill prescription vials.
A record of prescription information is received by the controlling computer from a pharmacy order entry computer. This record includes usual prescription label information such as patient name, doctor name, instructions, etc. as well as drug and quantity information.
The controlling computer directs a robotic manipulator to retrieve a drug storage unit which includes a queuing and separating means (i.e., cassette).
The controlling computer sends the drug and quantity information to a control counter/dispenser which will cooperate with the drug storage cassette to count and dispense the required number of pills. The robotic manipulator arm places the cassette on a counter, and a bar code on the cassette is read by a scanner interfaced to the counter. If the bar code matches the drug information, the counting and dispensing system is activated and pills are dispensed to a temporary holding volume.
While the pills are being counted the robotic manipulator arm retrieves an empty vial from a vial dispenser. The manipulator then places the vial on a vial rotating device which is positioned in a manner so that the prescription label is applied to the label to the vial as it is printed. The robotic manipulator then retrieves the labeled vial from the labeler and maneuvers the vial to the temporary pill holding volume. Then robotic manipulator lifts a gate allowing the pills to fall from the holding volume into the vial.
The manipulator then places the filled vial to a conveyor means and releases it. The conveyor then transports it to an operator for checking and delivery to the patient.
The robotic manipulator then retrieves the cassette from the counter and returns the cassette to its shelf. When a cassette requires replenishment of it""s stock, the manipulator retrieves the cassette from its storage shelf and places it in an output holding area that is accessible by a system operator. The operator removes the cassette from the output holding area and performs the replenishment steps. The cassette is returned to service by placing it in an input holding area The manipulator then returns the cassette to its storage shelf. Multiple vial sizes are accommodated by the single robotic manipulator.
The present invention thus provides an improved method and apparatus for filling prescriptions. The method of the present invention provides a storage shelving unit that can be an array having a plurality of shelves arranged in vertical columns for storing a plurality of bulk containers. Each respective container contains and stores a bulk quantity (e.g., 100 to 2000 pills) of a selected pharmaceutical to be dispensed.
A robotic, computer controlled arm is used to grasp a selected one of the containers that has the correct pills for the prescription to be filled.
The selected container is then removed from its receptacle with the robot arm and then placed by the robot arm on a counter/dispenser.
Pills are then dispensed in a correct number from the container by the counter and into a pill bottle that is also supported by the robot arm. Dispensing of the pills can be suspended until the robot arm has grabbed a pill bottle and placed it under the discharge chute of the counter/dispenser. The counter/dispenser then counts and dispenses the pills.
With the method of the present invention, the robotic arm then removes the container from the counter/dispenser and returns it to its receptacle.
The method of the present invention further comprises the step of using a computer to control the robotic arm during movement of the bulk container and pill bottle.
In the method of the present invention, the pill bottle is moved from a pill bottle dispenser to a labeling machine and then to the counter/dispenser.
The method of the present invention further comprises the step of moving the pill bottle to a conveyor after it has been filled so that the pharmacist can check the prescription and cap the bottle.
The method of the present invention includes the step of arranging the bulk containers and receptacles in an array having a curved front in which the robotic arm rotates in order to access the receptacles.
The method of the present invention includes the step of controlling the counter with a computer so that a pharmacist sitting at a computer console can direct movement of the robotic arm to: 1) select a desired bulk container, 2) place that container on the counter/dispenser, 3) retrieve a pill bottle of selected size, 4) place a label on a pill bottle, 5) dispense the selected number of pills from the counter/dispensing unit into the pill bottle; and 6) place the pill bottle on a conveyor.
The apparatus of the present invention thus provides an improved apparatus for filling prescriptions. The apparatus includes a shelving unit defining an array of storage containers, each container having an interior for holding a bulk amount of a selected pill product.
Each container is removable from the shelving unit, having a receptacle that separates each container from the next container. A computer controlled robotic arm reaches and grips a selected container and removes it from its receptacle. The computer controlled robotic arm has a free-end portion that grips the container to transport it to a counter.
A counter receives the selected container, the counter being computer controlled to dispense a selected number of pills therefrom into a bottle.
The free-end portion of the robotic arm has first and second gripping portions that can selectively grip a selected container or a selected pill bottle respectively.
The present invention provides a shelving unit that is curved in shape along its front surface.
The containers are arranged in an array that is accessed by the robotic arm when the robotic arm rotates about a center of rotation. The shelving unit has a curved shape that conforms to the movement of the robotic arm free end as the robot rotates about its center of rotation.
The robotic arm can move its free end portion into multiple and different elevational positions such as when removing a container from a higher or lower shelf.
The shelving unit preferable comprises a plurality of vertical columns, each column having a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelves for holding containers in an aligned vertical column.
Each column has a front face that is perpendicular to a radial line that extends radially from the center of rotation of the robotic arm.
The free-end portion of the robotic arm includes a pair of opposed gripping surfaces that move between opened and closed positions. The free-end portion of the robotic arm includes a pair of opposed jaws that are specially shaped to grip either the container or the pill bottle.
The free-end portion of the robotic arm has a gripping surface portion that includes a pair of opposed jaws with a first pair of shaped surfaces thereon for gripping one of the selected bulk containers and a second pair of surfaces that are curved for engaging the sides of a pill bottle to be handled during the pill dispensing procedure.
The shelving unit includes a plurality of shelf surfaces that can be inclined upon which the containers are supported.
A counter/dispenser or counting unit is spaced circumferentially away from the shelving unit. The robotic arm rotates away from the shelving unit to the counter/dispenser during use. The robotic arm moves its free end portion along a path that enables changes of elevation for both the free-end portion of the robotic arm and the supported container the robotic arm places the selected cassette or container on the counting unit. A selected number of pills are dispensed into a chute of the counting unit.
A bottle dispenser can be provided for holding a plurality of bottles to be filled with prescriptions. The bottle dispenser present a selected pill bottle for filling and the robotic arm enables its free end portion to move to a bottle gripping position at the bottle dispenser and from there to a bottle labeler and then to a filling position next to the counter/dispenser. The bottle can be of multiple bottle sizes to be selected on demand. The vials or bottles may be retrieved from a device that holds them in an ordered orientation. A labelling step may be interjected before placing the vial next to the counter/dispenser.
An alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention provides an alternate bottle dispensing construction. The alternate construction of the bottle dispenser includes a frame having a supporting base with a pair of side walls with a space therebetween and a bottle dispensing opening at the bottom of the frame. A plurality of inclined plates are positioned in between the side walls and supported by the frame, each of the plates being sized to carry a plurality of bottles to be dispensed. The inclined orientation of the plates enables the bottles to move toward the front of the frame under the influence of gravity.
The frame provides a dispensing channel for dispensing bottles from an upper end portion of the frame to a lower end portion of the frame and to a dispensing opening. A plurality of gates, one at the end of each of the inclined plates control the flow of bottles from one or more plates to the channel. Each gate is movable between an open and closed position.
Each of the gates has a counter weight that urges the gate into an opened position. The gates are configured to open when the inclined plate above the gate has been emptied of bottles. The frame has a dispensing outlet at the front bottom of the frame for dispensing bottles from the dispensing channel one at a time.
A conveyor can be provided for receiving pill bottles that have been labeled and filled with a prescription.
The robotic arm enables its free-end portion to move a pill bottle from a position next to the counter during filling to a position on the conveyor once it is filled with the selected prescription.